Neighbors
by missanna444
Summary: With Beth gone, sadness has taken over Jo's life. No one could make her smile or laugh for weeks. No one, that is, except her favorite neighbor who not only cheers her up, but sheds a little light on the situation.


Another day. There was nothing special about this day. Then again, since Beth had died, none of the days were special. They all droned on and on, the long dreary hours blurring together into one pathetic existence. Jo spent these days mostly reading, writing, and sleeping. Her already short temper got shorter, as she was seemingly irritated at the world. Worst of all, laughter had left her eyes. No one could get a laugh or even a smile out of her. Any attempts at good-natured jokes were received with an infuriated glare.

It seemed that nothing could cheer her up. Of course, her younger sister's death was tragic and she deserved to be upset over it, but her family was getting increasingly worried about her terrible gloom. One afternoon, Laurie found her sitting with her back against a tree in the yard, concentrating solely on her writing.

"Ah, good morning Miss March." he said in his usual teasing manner, half a grin on his face. Jo didn't look up. He sat in the grass across from her, leaning over paper to see what she was writing. She took her free hand and gently shoved his head out of the way.

"Not now, Teddy." she muttered. "I'm busy." He did not comply to her request and even tapped on her paper.

"What might my dear friend be writing today? Another rollicking adventure, I suppose?" Laurie asked, half curious and half trying to annoy her enough to get her to look up. She let out a small sigh. Without looking up, she shoved him away again, with more force this time. Once again, he moved close enough for her to notice him. This time, he was reading over her shoulder.

"Let me guess," he continued. "A princess? A dragon? A gory scene in which the knight and the enemy prince battle to the death!"

"Go away, Teddy. Go away, Teddy. Go away, Teddy." she repeated over and over, talking over him as he continued to guess. Suddenly, there was silence. She looked up, hoping he had gone. He was still there, grinning at her from his seat across from her.

"You stupid boy!" she cried in exasperation, hitting him with her pad of paper. Laurie lifted his hands in defense, trying to get up. He was still laughing. She got up to chase after him as he ran across the yard.

"How dare you laugh at me!" she yelled as she ran after him, notebook in hand. Laurie fell down, his laughter echoing around them. She took this as an opportunity to hit him again before sighing and sitting next to him. Laurie looked up to see a small smile tugging at her lips.

"Jo March, are you _smiling_?" he said in mock surprise.

"No!" she used her notebook to hide her face, her shoulders starting to shake with suppressed giggles. Laurie sat up.

"No, you're laughing! Don't you dare laugh, Jo! You managed to be serious for several weeks, don't give up all your hard work now!" he teased. Jo tried to glare at him, but ended up dissolving into a fit of giggles. As her laughter subsided, she stared at her friend.

"I knew I'd make you laugh." Laurie grinned at her.

"You're that cocky are you? You sound rather sure of yourself." she teased.

"Of course I'm sure of myself. I made you laugh, didn't I?"

"Oh. Right. Good point." she sighed softly.

"You needed to smile and you know it." he reminded her.

"I was perfectly content in my world of somber depression, just so you know." she protested. Laurie was silent for a moment. She looked up at him.

"What?" she asked.

"Everyone was worried about you, Jo."

"What for? My sister died, Teddy. I have every right to be upset for as long as I need."

"It just seemed unnatural, okay? Even your mother smiles once in a while. If anyone should be depressed, its her." As he finished the last sentence, he noticed a change in the look in Jo's eyes.

"What exactly are you saying? Are you implying that I don't deserve to mourn my sister this long?" Her voice started to rise angrily.

"No, let me explain, I-" he started.

"No. You don't need to explain. I get it." she got up, starting to walk away. She knew she was being unreasonable, but she didn't care. Laurie got up and followed her and grabbed her arm to stop her. She spun around to face him.

"Teddy, I don't care what you have to say." she protested, the words catching in her throat.

"Whether you care or not, just listen to me. Please, Jo." he said. Jo didn't meet his eyes. "Please…" he whispered.

"Fine. Fine, I'll listen." she sighed. She wouldn't look at him, knowing he was right and she was wrong, no matter what he was going to say.

"We're all worried about you. Yes, you're supposed to be upset over all of this, but not in such a permanent sense…" he tried to explain.

"So you all think I'm depressed."

"Well… yes, but-"

"But I shouldn't be because my mother lost her daughter whereas I only lost a sister." she concluded, sarcasm and hurt dripping from her voice.

"What did I tell you about listening?" Laurie glared at her. Jo looked at her feet again, embarrassed. Laurie continued speaking.

"Don't you get it? We're worried because we care. We want you to be okay. It doesn't matter who else is upset or why or for how long. All that matters is that your sadness and self-pity are going to end up causing trouble in one way or another and we want to protect you so it doesn't happen."

"So now you're saying I need protection? What, I can't handle myself? I can't survive on my own?" her reply was harsh, though a bit half-hearted.

"Jo…" Exasperation entered Laurie's voice. Jo bit her lip sheepishly.

"Sorry.."

"Just think about it, okay? We want you to be okay. I want you to be okay…" And with that, he pushed past her and into the house. She stood there for quite some time, thinking long and hard about her friend's words. He was right. They weren't accusing her of being weak or saying that she shouldn't be upset. They were simply worried about her. And maybe she would never fully cheer up, but maybe she could at least try.

A minute later, the door opened and Laurie poked his head outside.

"Jo?" he asked. She snapped out of her thoughtful daze and looked at him.

"Yes?"

"Are you coming inside or not? Lunch is getting cold." he smiled slightly. Jo smiled back and nodded, following the boy who had made her see the truth.


End file.
